Poly alpha-1,6-glucan ester biodegradable anti-deposition agent
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for new biodegradable materials for use in aqueous applications such as fabric care and personal care products that can act as anti-deposition and whiteness benefit agents in laundry detergents, which can be made from renewable resources and maintain effectiveness over time.
Innovation Solution
Development of poly alpha-1,6-glucan ester compounds with a backbone of glucose monomer units linked via alpha-1,6 glycosidic linkages, optionally branched via alpha-1,2 and/or alpha-1,3 linkages, and substituted with ester groups, providing a weight average degree of polymerization of at least 5 and a degree of substitution between 0.001 and 3.0, ensuring biodegradability and solubility in water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional polysaccharides are used in laundry detergents, then they can provide some cleaning benefits, but they lack the desired anti-deposition and whiteness benefit properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical structure of polysaccharides by introducing ester groups at controlled degrees of substitution (0.01 to 0.6) and specific polymerization degrees (5 to 4000), transforming conventional polysaccharides into enhanced poly alpha-1,6-glucan ester compounds that provide superior anti-deposition and whiteness benefits while maintaining biodegradability and renewable sourcing
2Reliability
If synthetic polymers are used to achieve desired fabric care performance, then functional effectiveness is improved, but environmental friendliness and biodegradability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates composite-like structures by chemically modifying natural polysaccharide backbones with ester groups, combining the biodegradability and renewable nature of natural polymers with the enhanced functional performance typically associated with synthetic polymers, achieving both fabric care effectiveness and environmental friendliness
3Ease of operation
If highly substituted polysaccharides are used to improve solubility and functionality, then processing ease is improved, but biodegradability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the degree of substitution to a specific range (0.01 to 0.6) that balances solubility enhancement with biodegradability preservation, and controls the weight average degree of polymerization (5 to 4000) to ensure both adequate functionality and maintainability of biodegradation properties
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to poly alpha-1,6-glucan ester compounds comprising poly alpha-1,6-glucan substituted with at least one ester group as defined herein and having a degree of substitution of about 0.001 to about 3.0. The poly alpha-1,6-glucan comprises a backbone of glucose monomer units wherein greater than or equal to 40% of the glucose monomer units are linked via alpha-1,6 glycosidic linkages, and optionally at least 5% of the backbone glucose monomer units have branches via alpha-1,2 and/or alpha-1,3 glycosidic linkages. Compositions comprising a poly alpha-1,6-glucan ester compound can be useful in various applications.